Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 08 April 2017

:: National ::

Forest Advisory Committee imposed conditions on Ken-Betwa interlinking

India’s apex forest advisory body has imposed tough conditions on the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project.
Given the ecological and environmental impact posed by the project, it had to pass multiple authorities for clearance. A forest advisory clearance was seen to be the last step before the project was to begin.
The Forest Advisory Committee, apex environment ministry authority that clears requests for diverting forest land for projects, usually rejects or recommends a proposal, sometimes with conditions, for the diversion of forest land.
FAC has refrained from explicitly giving its opinion either way and only seconded an earlier sub-committee’s report that had cleared the project subject to strict caveats.
Rs. 18,000 crore river interlinking project requires 4,141 hectares of forest in the heart of Panna Tiger reserve, and some more besides, to build a dam and a 230-km canal to transfer water to several drought-afflicted villages in Bundelkhand.
As compensation for the pristine tiger habitat that would be inundated by the project, the Water Ministry had agreed to acquire about 8,000 hectares of forest land from the Madhya Pradesh government and revive them as forest.
But the FAC said this land was not good enough as it was fragmented, and, to meaningfully revive a forest that is part of tiger habitat, the land acquired ought to be contiguous.
This would require, according to the FAC, “revenue lands/non-forest lands by way of purchase or otherwise by the project proponents and the government”.
While a State can relatively allocate forest land for Central projects, transferring private or revenue land is harder, time-consuming and costly. The FAC has also asked for the project’s main canal to be re-aligned.

PM wants to provide quality and affordable healthcare

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government was leaving no stone unturned in providing quality healthcare that was accessible and affordable.
The Health Ministry had launched free drugs and diagnostics initiative to make healthcare affordable while undertaking a universal health screening in 100 districts for hypertension, diabetes and breast, cervical and oral cancers.
The World Health Organisation is focussing on depression this year to raise awareness on World Health Day.
According to WHO, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people (between 20-40 age-group) in India along with adolescents (15-19 years).
India recently passed the long-awaited Mental Healthcare Bill, decriminalising suicide and guaranteeing the rights to better healthcare for people with mental illness.
The Bill also has the provision of a special clause for women and children related to admission, treatment, sanitation and personal hygiene; restriction on use of Electro-Convulsive Therapy.

IVRI in Bareilly in the process of collecting DNA samples of all wild animals

North India is all set to get its first DNA bank for wildlife. Scientists at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly are in the process of collecting DNA samples of all wild animals to set up the bank.
It is expected to help in research and also in bringing down poaching. At present, the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) in Hyderabad is the only such facility in the country.
So far, the scientists have collected 140 samples of 25 wild animals. The DNA bank is expected to start this year-end.
It took one year for the IVRI to collect the DNA samples of animals such as tigers, leopards, lions, elephants, rhinos and deer, which are on the radar of poachers.

Fact checking tag by google to fight fake news

Google is adding a fact-checking tag to search results globally, its latest initiative to help curb the spread of misinformation and “fake news,” the company said.
The new tags, to be used in all languages for users worldwide, will use third-party fact-checkers to indicate whether news items are true, false or somewhere in-between.
The information won’t be available for every search result, and there may be conflicting conclusions in some cases, Google said in the blog post.
Google has worked with 115 fact-checking groups worldwide for the initiative, which began last year.
People who search for a topic in Google’s main search engine or the Google News section will see a conclusion such as “mostly true” or “false” next to stories that have been fact checked.
The move came a day after Facebook added a new tool in news feeds to help users determine whether shared stories are real or bogus.
Fake news became a serious issue in last year’s U.S. election campaign, when clearly fraudulent stories circulated on social media, potentially swaying some voters.

:: International ::

United states targeted a Syrian airbase

The U.S. targeted a Syrian airbase controlled by the country’s beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad, making a dramatic turnaround in American policy.
Former President Barack Obama had turned back from military intervention against the Assad regime in 2013 and President Donald Trump has been opposed to U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war.
A chemical attack on the rebel town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed 80 people earlier in the week changed his mind, Mr. Trump said.
Damascus and its ally Moscow furiously condemned the American air strike on a Syrian airbase that marked the first direct U.S. assault on President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Mr. Assad’s office called the strike “foolish and irresponsible”. Moscow announced a series of retaliatory steps, including plans to strengthen Syrian air defences.
At a Security Council emergency session, Russia branded the air strikes a “flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression” against Syria.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura announced the UN-backed ceasefire taskforce on Syria that is co-chaired by Moscow and Washington would meet at Russia's request.

:: India and World ::

India urged Myanmar to contain violence against Rohingya Muslims

India urged Myanmar to contain violence against Rohingya Muslims in the western part of the country bordering Bangladesh.
India had been in consultation with Myanmar to restore normalcy in the Rohingya territory of the State of Rakhine but pointed out that the issue might not figure in the ongoing visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India.
India had previously extended a sum of money to the Government of Myanmar to restore communal harmony.
India’s comments followed a day after rights body Amnesty International cautioned New Delhi against forcibly relocating Rohingyas to Myanmar where the community faces discrimination.
Amnesty said media reports had suggested that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs was planning to “identify, arrest and deport” thousands of Rohingya refugees from various States of India.
Government of Bangladesh had been vocal in recent times, due to the difficulties it faced over movement of people across the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
Amnesty International’s India branch issued a fresh appeal for protection of the Rohingyas, soon after Prime Minister Hasina reached India.

:: Business and Economy ::

India’s Internet economy is expected to reach to $250 billion

India’s Internet economy is expected to double to $250 billion, according to a report by BCG-TiE.
E-commerce and financial services are expected to account for about $40-$50 billion, followed by e-commerce products ($45-$50 billion), private and government infrastructure spending ($50-$60 billion).
Connectivity ($45-$55 billion), devices ($30-$40 billion) and digital media and advertising ($5-$8 billion).